The Puppeteer and the Florist
by Evilshallprevail
Summary: In the Victorian Era, it wasn't all happy, fantastic times. As a 16 year old parentless and single girl, getting hounded by others who would try to make me not single, which I didn't care for. But there was this one guy that interested me. A Puppeteer who would come and buy a flower for inspiration for his puppet and wasn't a sexist. Interesting... Rein-Fic
1. Chapter 1

**I dunno, I actually got this idea from tumblr, but originally a different thing. Like, 'Instead of bones and muscles, hey see bones' type of thing.**

 **Umm. So this time, I'm going to make sure to warn y'all that this is full of crude language that I think befits teens...I don't know, I don't really interact with other people. I know that I've been cursing since I was 10, so I don't think any other kid would mind this at all...**

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 **Chapter 1**

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In the Victorian Era, it wasn't all happy, fantastic times. I regret the times I moaned to myself about the stuff that I had back in my previous life, in the 21st century.

There were a lot of precious items I really wanted in the Victorian Era, but I guess once you lost it, you can never have it back. I missed my internet, my phone, my laptop, pads, tampons, hair dryers, friends and families.

It's not to say that I don't love my family in this life, but sometimes, they could get too much patriarchal. Like how the men would be the bread-winner while the women would stay at home and be the perfect wife and maid at the same time.

I resented that. But, as I was too hesitant in saying these out loud, I thanked God that my parents in this life were dead. They lived up to about the age of 50, the average life span someone in the Victorian Era could live up to. But they didn't die because of old age or anything, no. They died of a carriage accident.

Then when they died, they left the family business to me, a flower shop, that they have been training for me to inherit practically all my 16 years of life.

Then, there was bad news. Because I was 16, and haven't even gotten married and popped out children, the neighbors and my customers and some other people had been hounding for me to get married, wanting to introduce me to their sons, grandsons, nephews, friends, and so much that I didn't bother anymore.

But due to me, having to be polite to customers being beaten in my head back in the 21st century, it made me just smile and laugh and just refuse their offers politely. But inwardly, I wished I could just shout at them and bash their heads on something, preferably with my cacti piles or my thorny roses bushes, to get it into their tiny beans brains that I am not interested in men who only could see their egos.

I've had men also parading into my shop and try to flirt with me, then say that I should just get married so I could hand over the business to my husband so I could just stay home and take care of my future children.

I would like children, but not with stupid, egoistical men who couldn't bother with anything but themselves and money.

To prove that I could handle myself, I've had dozens of robbery, hoping that a lonely little lady like me could be an easy prey, but they were wrong.

I defended my flower shop like a territorial dragon and its hoard. I used everything in my arsenal to beat them up.

To be honest, I once made a Belladonna perfume, perfectly with a gas mask I bought at a pawn shop, and made sure to put it on and sprayed it at them while they try to defend against me throwing at them thorny roses.

They dropped like dead flies. But I didn't want to be imprisoned. So I dragged their convulsing and still alive self and stuffed their mouth with rhododendron tea, making sure to rub their throat so it would go down their gullets.

It hadn't been easy taking care of the bodies, it hadn't been easy on me because of my morals. But after the first few times, it would just make me annoyed.

I used the grinder to make things done, mixing their grinded-up body to my fertilizer and mix it up, placing them on my private gardens.

Nobody ever heads to that place, so I was fine. The more poisonous were hidden among the bunch of flowers, but I planted it in a way that is only accessible if they follow the steps so they can avoid which one is which.

I sighed in relief as I finished my daily chores. I only have robbers who break in, not thieves who would steal things from my store. Why? Maybe it's because it's a flower shop. But, it's because I fed the other street kids and homeless people as I grew up.

I shared some food with them as I am not much of an eater, but tend to make too much because I thought that I didn't have to cook anymore in a week or so like I always did in my past life, but then forget over and over again that I didn't have a fridge, so I had to hand it over.

They all got their own bowls from me buying some from the pawn shop, and it was perfectly cheap and still useful, and every time, they would line up like a coordinate bunch of people and drink from the bowl as well as their hands.

Unfortunately, I never really remember their chosen names. Most of the times, it was just their orders, their quirks, or their looks. It was odd because I can remember everything else, but never people's names unless they were someone important to me. But sometimes, I totally could care less.

But there was this Undertaker who would often buy flowers from my shop for his... customers. Dead ones at least. Sometimes in exchange, he would help me get rid of the robbers, or hide the bodies. It was truly lovely that he also gives me even more rare seeds I could experiment with. More than often deadly ones.

Though my personal favorite was the carnivores ones. I absolutely detest flies and was glad to have them around.

Also as a precaution, I set them up in corners, in between the flowers, and the edges because they sure help get rid of other pesky things, often the bees, but I didn't care as long as the flies and mosquitoes are gone.

Also, as another precaution, I adopted 6 kittens I got from a customer whose cat seem to have an accident with a street one and plans on dump them on the street once they're old enough to separate from their mother. Harsh, but the way of survival.

But I fed the cats anyways, and love them and care for them as they make the best companions rather than people in general. They kept the rats and other pests away as well, so I had the absolute most best guards ever...I wonder if I should get a dog.

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So...a Rhodesian Ridgeback and a Collie. I could work with those.

I came out of the pound with these two dogs who were panting and not sad anymore. 5 year old and 7 year old respectively.

I didn't mind though. I thought that they still could be trained with patience. I brought them back to my house. As it was a holiday, I took the time to bond with them, and try to train them. My cats were frankly quite scared of them, so they usually went on to hide behind the cupboards, squeezing back there so they could stay away from the dogs' curiosity. I was extremely unoriginal. So I called the kittens: Mally, Sally, Tally, Wally, Rally, and Dally. And I called the dogs Pocky and Oreo respectively. The others think that it was an odd name, but I thought it sounded delicious that I missed a lot. 4 girls and 4 boys. Both the dogs and 2 of the kittens were boys so I had one problem out, but on the other hand, I had 4 girls. Girls who will definitely have their periods.

I sighed and got up from my fruitless times of disaster called 'trying to train the dogs'. I went behind the cupboard and picked up one of the hissy kitties in the hoard that was Dally, the youngest of them all, and headed to where the dogs were waiting for me.

I shoved the kitten right in front of their faces, checking for their reaction in case I have to pull Dally out of the way. They carefully sniffed her stiff body, and then licked her happily. I placed Dally down on my lap and scratched behind their ears, making them pant heavily, their tails wagging furiously and those legs doing their thing.

I guess that it was safe to keep Dally with them. I carefully set Dally between them, ready to pull them out. But instead, they curled around her as they laid on their paws.

I inwardly melted at that spot and gave them some treats which they happily devoured.

1 down, 5 more to go.

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They took to the hissy Wally and Sally the worst, but I managed to scold them, which they looked at me guiltily.

Which I once more melted at, but didn't stop because they wouldn't learn.

When I had to get to work, I would bring the kittens in a basket, while I put the dogs on leash, making sure to let the roam about as long as they don't head for the doors. They sniffed the place curiously, but I didn't mind that.

One of them sniffed, which one I did not know, but it was adorable. The kittens were laying on the counter, playing with the ball of yarns I bought unfortunately not at the pawn shop.

I had to put a barrier around my counter just so they wouldn't fall.

I've got a lot of customers coming in after that, having to head in to pet the dogs and the kittens, and having to buy one in the end.

But sometimes, some of the most infuriating customers came in, wanting to gift to their partner the most beautiful flower, but sometimes, it have a different meaning. They seem to want to compliment their partner, but would accidentally insult them in a roundabout way. I tried to convince all of them, but only some changed their minds, hesitant about the whole thing afterwards.

So, I took to becoming something like a advisor of a sort, if they want to apologize, they come up to me and ask if I could help arrange it in a way it would be apologetic.

If they want to confess, I had to learn about their partner's personality and quirks just so that they would love it a lot.

But not once did anyone come to me to subtly be able to insult someone without them knowing. Of course, I rarely nowadays curse in the 21st century language as it hasn't been made yet, so I do it in the flower language.

Like for example, 'Fuck off' would be 'Butterfly Weed'. When someone is really being obtusely arrogant, I would smile brightly and say "You are such a Sunflower!", with sparkles and all. If I want to call them a bitch, then I would mutter 'Larkspur'. Because really, haughtiness is just a more polite way to say that they were a bitch.

The thing is, the Victorian flower language is mostly only known to nobles and plant specialists, but never the peasantry folks because they frankly can't read, don't have the time to remember those details, and are too busy with work. So I was fine.

I never had interacted with a noble, not had I been in contact with someone who had connection and I am glad that it never happened to me.

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 **END!**

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 **Yay! Just like in Tumblr, I promised to update this! Tho I don't think anybody really goes to tumblr much anymore...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ooooh! If anyone plays Ikemen Sengoku, my player ID is P8X4LSMSK. And if you're playing 夢王国１００ thing, my player ID is 2126950157. I'm bored enough these days, and started playing a lot of otome games. I'm losing my sleep because of Mystic Messenger now...**

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 **Chapter 2**

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When I heard footsteps, I looked up to see a well-dressed man walking nearby. I looked away immediately, preferring not to interact with rich people.

But because of my incredible, most amazing luck, he just had to be interested in my stall and head over to see my plants.

He inspected each and every one of the flowers with careful gaze as well as delicate hands. I was surprised that he wasn't announcing his arrival that most well-dressed men does.

I looked at him with a judging gaze before concentrating back on my lovelies. I heard somebody clear their throat not long after and looked up.

It turned out to be the same man who was carefully looking over my flowers. He silently handed over a gerbera as well as some money. I quickly wrapped the flower up carefully and handed it back to the man who took it with the utmost gentleness and then left.

Wanting to get that man out of my mind quickly as possible, I concentrated back on my babies who just wanted my love.

* * *

The same man would come at least 4 times a week, buying different flowers, yet still a stalk at the time.

He had been buying my flowers for 5 months now and we hadn't even had a conversation.

He would often come in, pick his flowers, hand it and the money over to me, and while I wrap it up, he would pet my babies, and when I was done wrapping, I would hand it over to him and he would leave immediately.

It wasn't bad, I suppose. He left me alone, I left him alone. No conversation, just the way I like it.

* * *

The first time we spoken was the 11th month he became my customer. It was only because I tripped over Oreo and was about to smash my berry bushes with my body, closed my eyes and agonizing over it when I was stopped.

I opened my eyes and saw the same man with his arms around my shoulders and lifting me away from the berry bushes.

"Thank you..." I trailed off, it was awkward to talk to someone you know but didn't talk to because you have no idea who they were. Stranger danger and all.

"Are you alright?" He asked with a surprising worry in his tone. I gave him the smile I reserved to customers. "Yes, I am. Thank you for catching me, I suppose." I said, dusting off the imaginary dust I have on my apron.

We both turned away soon to finish our own business. I glared at Oreo who whimpered as he looked anywhere but me. It has been a year since he was with me, but seriously?

I sighed and just patted his head before heading to the counter, starting to play with my kitties, which I never get bored with.

The guy handed me a Calla Lily and money, and I quickly start to wrap it up. I was curious to what he was going to use them for, so I asked him.

"I'm a puppeteer for the Mandalay family. I need the inspiration to create more puppets." He informed me. I was interested in that almost immediately. I have never seen this era's puppets before as it was probably reserved to just the nobles and such.

He rummaged through his handbag he always brought, and took out a puppet. Such a delicate and pretty one, but the dress reminded me of a flower.

"Is that a rose pattern?" I asked him, my hands itching to inspect the puppet more closely. He silently handed over the puppet over to me, which I carefully inspected and tested her function. He just nodded silently at my question.

"Oh, I may have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Catherine Garland. It's nice to meet you." I said as I handed over the puppet to him. He stared at me, as if he was unable to trust what was happening to him right now.

"Drossel Keinz, a pleasure to meet you." He said, shaking my hands firmly. I smiled, a real smile, however small it might be, because he wasn't the annoying type.

"This is Mally, Sally, Tally, Wally, Rally, and Dally." I pointed out all of the year old kittens on my counter, then pointed out to the dogs that were further away. "Those are Pocky and Oreo." I said.

We spent more time talking to each other about what dress designs can we see with the flowers, and the show he must perform for the children at the Mandalay.

By the time I realized, it was time for me to close because Oreo and Pocky were getting too fussy for me to handle them. I apologized to Sir. Keinz, telling him I need to shut the store.

He also apologized for taking so much of my time, and hoped that I would talk to him again. He soon left after that.

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 **END!  
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 **Lol, instead of working on other fics, I'm working on this one. Well, I have this idea since 3 months ago... I think**


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